• The characteristics of organisms

• Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air, water, and food; plants require air, water, nutrients, and light. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs can be met. The world has many different environments, and distinct environments support the life of different types of organisms.
• Each plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.
• The behavior of individual organisms is influenced by internal cues (such as hunger) and by external cues (such as a change in the environment)

• Life cycles of organisms:

• Plants and animals have life cycles that include being born, developing into adults, reproducing, and eventually dying.
• Plants and animals closely resemble their parents.
• Many characteristics of an organism are inherited from the parents of the organism, but other characteristics result from an individual's interactions with the environment.

• Organisms and environments

• All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that eat the plants.
• An organism's patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism's environment, including the kinds and numbers of other organisms present, the availability of food and resources, and the physical characteristics of the environment.

Technology Foundation Standards for Students

Standard 4: Technology communications tools

• Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
• Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

• Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
• Students are proficient in the use of technology.